I'm extremely pleased to announce that Minding Our Elders received an award from The Health Central Network for being among the top caregiving/dementia sites and blogs.

It's really nice to be recognized for the efforts of your heart. It means people are paying attention. The other four winners in this category are: The Dementia Caregiver's Toolbox; My Elder Advocate; 3GenFamily and KnowItAlz.com Blog. Congratulations to the other four winners.

I thought you might be interested in my take on the bestseller "Water for Elephants." I loved the circus story, but since I wrote this for my caregiving blog on Our Alzheimer's, I concentrated on the nursing home storyline.

Here's how I begin -

From Water for Elephants:

"Either there's been an accident or there's roadwork, because a gaggle of old ladies is glued to the window at the end of the hall like children or jailbirds. They're spidery and frail, their hair as fine as mist. Most of them are a good decade younger than me, and this astounds me. Even as your body betrays you, your mind denies it."

Kansas City Home Care is the vision of founder and president Cheryl Smith, who began her career as a certified Gerontologist. This article is from Cheryl's site:

You are managing your time pretty well-things are tight and there are activities you would like to add to your schedule, like a Yoga class or a new hobby, but you just can't juggle one more thing. But, then something happens that is about to add a huge responsibility to your already overloaded schedule - there is a crisis with your elderly parent or relative.

By Barbara Mascio, Senior Approved Services

It is obvious, when you think about it, that when a spouse, parent, or other loved one is in need of outside services that he or she has become less independent. This lessening of independence also affects, on many levels, the lives of each the other spouse, the adult children, and the friends and family members of this person.

So, the person in need of help or services is vulnerable. This vulnerability is measured in degrees proportionate to the lessening of independence. It is then the caring friends and family of this person who, sometimes by design, sometimes by default, become the advocate. Speaking up for the rights of this person, ensuring that this person receives the best possible services or care.

Kathryn Kilpatrick of Communication Connection has an impressive collection of educational products.

This is what Senior Approved Services has to say about Communication Connection :

Communication Connection is the first geriatric consultation service to be awarded the Senior Approved Certification in the state of Ohio. This distinction clearly separates Communication Connection from other geriatric consultants in OH. Only those that achieve a 90% (or higher) customer satisfaction rating receive Certification.

Kathryn Kilpatrick, founder and president of Communication Connection, received her Master's Degree in Speech and Language Pathology in 1968 from the University of Massachusetts. She has worked in a variety of settings, primarily in Ohio, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, home health care agencies and she has her own private practice.

Kathryn is the author of over 30 products sold nationally including the Visiting Nurse Service Therapy Guides (Volumes 1-5) for Speech and Language Disorders. Her background in speech and language pathology, specializing in serving the older adult population for over 3 decades, led to the development of Communication Connection in 2000 as a geriatric communication consultant.